The exhibition Splendor of Luxury and Elegance: The Centenary of the Esplanade Hotel & Croatian Paths of the Orient Express reveals the rich history of two symbols of luxury – Zagreb’s Esplanade Hotel and the legendary Orient Express train. The exhibition offers a nostalgic look at a time when travel was more than just arriving at a destination – it was an experience of luxury, elegance, and prestige.
In the first part of the exhibition visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the story of the Esplanade Hotel, which, for a full hundred years, has been the symbol of top-quality service, elegance, and the urban spirit of Zagreb. The first prize in an international competition launched by the Joint Stock Company for the Construction of Inns and Lodgings was awarded to the architect Otto Rehnig. However, due to the jumping prices of building materials and labor, Rehnig withdrew from the project, as he did not want to change his original design. Therefore, the Zagreb architect Dionis Sunko is credited with the design and realization of the construction. The Hotel was built in 1925, after something more than two years of construction. Over the decades, the hotel has been the setting of the cultural, political, and social life of the city. The theme of the exhibition covers the history of the Hotel’s construction and its luxurious balls, gastronomic tradition, the promotion of luxury, as well as famous personalities – hotel guests, including, in 1929, the arrival of Josephine Baker, the legendary French-American actress, singer, and dancer.
The second part of the exhibition takes the visitors on the trail of the most famous train of all time – the Orient Express, which first departed from the Paris railway station in early October 1883, bound for what was then Constantinople. We have discovered a previously unknown initiative by the Zagreb Chamber of Commerce and Crafts and partner chambers in France to, in 1906, establish a new Orient Express route that would pass through our region. The exhibition then follows the post-war route that stems from the aforementioned idea of the Zagreb and French Chambers – the Simplon-Orient-Express – which began its journeys in 1919 and passed through Croatian railway stations in Zagreb, Slavonski Brod, and Vinkovci.
Through unique artifacts and interesting recordings, the development of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits is presented, as well as the history of the route, the interior of the luxury carriages, and the famous novel Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, who places the key plot of the novel – a murder – as the train passes through the town of Strizivojna on its route from Vinkovci to Slavonski Brod.
The connection between Opatija’s tourism in the last quarter of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries and the journeys of this famous train, intertwined with the promotion of Opatija as a summer, winter, and climatic health resort, which was also chosen by passengers of the Orient Express and later the Simplon-Orient-Express. Although the Orient Express did not have a direct line to the Abbazia-Mattuglie (Opatija-Matulji) station, there were several ways to reach the city for its passengers. During our research, we discovered a previously unknown connection with Opatija, where train passengers came thanks to tempting tourist packages offered by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (the International Sleeping Car Company) – the owners of the Orient Express and its later versions. The enterprising owner included in the offer the city tours (Nice, Opatija, Naples, and others) outside the route of the train stations where the train stopped (like today’s city-break tours), and the fact that some passengers boarded the train and traveled only two stops, just to dine in a luxurious environment, speaks of the appeal of the dining car. It was the representatives of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits who stayed in Opatija and, in 1898, signed a cooperation agreement with the representatives of the Southern Railway Company from Vienna on the lease of the accommodation facilities of Opatija’s hotels (Kvarner and Stephanie Hotels, and Villa Angiolina, which has been the seat of the Croatian Museum of Tourism since 2007).
The exhibition reveals not only the history of two great symbols of luxury, but also the broader context of tourism and travel, with a special emphasis on Croatian regions and their role in the European story.
Organization: Croatian Museum of Tourism & Esplanade Hotel Zagreb
Cooperation: HŽ INFRASTRUKTURA Ltd. / Croatian Railway Museum
Author of the Concept & Exhibition Curator: Nataša Ivančević, PhD
Curator’s Assistant: Matea Plišić
Texts by Matea Plišić & Renata Veličan
Cooperaters: Sabina Kaštelančić, Renata Veličan
Design of Exhibition Display: Lada Sega
Graphic Design and Preparation: Wanda Design
Technical Support: Gruppo blu d.o.o.
Media Promotion: Ivan Modrić
English Translation: Branka Svetlin
Proofreading: Dijana Stanić-Rešicki
Opening hours: 10 AM – 6 PM
Closed on Mondays and public holidays.
Loans: Arjan den Boer, Ivan Dukić, dr. med. Damir Kovač, Davorin Orban, Vjekoslav Zahej, Esplanade Hotel Zagreb, Croatian Railway Museum, Croatian Radio and Television, State Archives in Zagreb, Croatian State Archives, National and University Library in Zagreb, Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media, Museum of Arts and Crafts, Zagreb City Museum, Museum of the Brodsko Posavska County, Vinkovci City Museum, Museum of Đakovoština, Folkwang Museum, Essen, and Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism, Hungarian State Archives
Acknowledgments: William De Baets, Arjan den Boer, Lada Burić, Ivan Dukić, Sabina Kaštelančić, dr. Damir Kovač, Davorin Orban, Renata Veličan, Vjekoslav Zahej
